With Recreational Marijuana Legal in Michigan, Indiana Cops Will Be Looking for Impaired Drivers

Recreational marijuana is now legal in Michigan, with that sea change as the first state in the Great Lakes region to legalize the drug, cops in bordering states will have heightened patrols looking for potentially impaired Michigan drivers.

WBST-TV in South Bend says Indiana police in border communities will be on high alert. Police in South Bend, Mishawaka and Indiana's Gateway Village of Roseland (just south of Niles, Michigan where M-51 becomes Indiana State Road 933) will all have their eyes on Michigan drivers.

State Road 933 could possibly be the location of an extra checkpoint. Officers say there have been numerous fatal accidents on the roadway and they are concerned that fatal crashes could go up if people are using weed and then getting behind the wheel.

“Do you want to last be seen getting put into a hearse? Or into the back of a police car? Our goal is to see you get home safely,” said Tim Williams, Mishawaka Police Department.

“Statistically states that have legalized marijuana have an increase in fatal crashes,” said Ted Bohner, sergeant with the Indiana State Police. “That is definitely one thing I hope doesn’t make its way south here to Indiana. We don’t want fatal crashes to begin with and we definitely don’t want more.”

While the safety blitzes described in the WSBT story are routine and happen a few times each year, clearly the change in laws north of the border have changed things for law enforcement outside of Michigan.

Social Media Reaction

Reaction on Facebook, was largely sceptial of Indiana's response and stoked the old Michigan/Indiana rivalry that's common in the South Bend area.

Good ole Indiana still living in the dark ages, congrats Michigan for finally legalizing it.

People only live in Indiana because their parents ran out of gas heading to Michigan

DEAR GOD!
BUILD A WALL!!!! Make Indiana great again!

It's worth noting that driving and smoking weed is not legal in Michigan or anywhere else.